Birmingham v Huddersfield preview: Fourth-round replay with Man Utd as reward
Monday 5 February 2018 15:53, UK
David Wagner says he likes the "chase" of being in the bottom three and wants to gain momentum at Birmingham in the FA Cup fourth-round replay on Tuesday night.
Huddersfield's 2-0 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday leaves them in 19th place, but the German recognises that a cup run will only do positive things for the squad.
Huddersfield were pegged back by Championship side Birmingham 1-1 last month at the John Smith's Stadium.
Wagner said: "It feels OK to be in the bottom three. Now we can chase, we can look forward and look to climb the table. We should not forget we are three points from 12th in the table. I like the chase now.
"All of my players should show they are capable of performing at a better level than in the first leg; it's a good opportunity to show what they can do in another competition."
The winner of the replay will host Manchester United on February 17, but Birmingham boss Steve Cotterill dismissed any thoughts about facing Jose Mourinho's side ahead of the replay.
He said: "Everybody knows about it but we won't be talking about it. We will give full respect to Huddersfield. I'm sure it's what everyone will talk about but we're not at that point. Huddersfield will have our undivided attention first."
Team news
Birmingham's Jonathan Grounds (knee) is out while Jacques Maghoma (groin) remains a doubt after missing Saturday's 3-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday.
Elias Kachunga remains sidelined following a knee injury he sustained against Watford before Christmas.
Midfielder Danny Williams missed Saturday's Premier League match against Manchester United and won't make the clash on Tuesday, while Christopher Schindler and Laurent Depoitre picked up knocks and are also out.
Opta stats
- Birmingham have only won one of their last five home games against Huddersfield (D1 L3), however this was in their most recent game at St. Andrew's in April 2017, with goals from Jonathan Grounds and Craig Gardner.
- Birmingham are without a win in their last nine FA Cup home games against Premier League opposition (D2 L7), with their last victory coming against Blackburn in January 2004, winning 4-0.
- Huddersfield's last six FA Cup replays on the road have seen 31 goals scored, with the Terriers scoring 11 and their opponents scoring 20 (avg. 5.2 goals per game).
- The Blues have lost each of their last three FA Cup replays after winning five successive replays between 2006 and 2012.
